


Love

by gunmetal_ring



Series: Choices [2]
Category: The Walking Dead (TV)
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, F/M, Fluff, Timestamp
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-23
Updated: 2021-02-23
Packaged: 2021-03-13 20:07:32
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,820
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29656611
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/gunmetal_ring/pseuds/gunmetal_ring
Summary: Timestamp to Choices.
Relationships: Daryl Dixon/Carol Peletier
Series: Choices [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2179311
Comments: 1
Kudos: 10





	Love

**Author's Note:**

> Three years later.

Sophia's doing homework while Carol makes a grocery list, and it's been quiet for a while before Sophia breaks it.

"Do you and Daryl have an anniversary?"

Carol furrows her brows and looks over at Sophia. "Um, not really, I guess. Not a formal date, or anything. Why do you ask?"

"Because Friday was apparently Eliza and Carl's one-month anniversary, and he gave her a teddy bear at lunch."

"A teddy bear, huh?"

"Yeah. I thought it was kind of stupid, because teddy bears are for, like, six-year-olds, not _teenagers_ , but she loved it, so whatever."

Carol chooses not to comment on the note of jealousy in her voice.

She remembers being thirteen, barely - so confident she wasn't a kid anymore, absolutely positive she knew _everything_ , and sneaking makeup into school, washing it off before she went home.

Sophia's still pretty sweet, but Carol knows the tough teenage years will come in high school, and isn't looking forward to it at _all_.

They fall back into silence, and Carol checks the refrigerator to see how they're doing on milk and eggs.

"Why aren't you and Dad married?"

A bolt of fear shoots through Carol, and she tenses, slowly turning around to look at Sophia.

But Sophia's just looking back at her with curiosity, face open and waiting, and it's then that Carol realizes she's talking about _Daryl_ , and she almost wants to cry.

Carol clears her throat. "Why do you ask?"

"I dunno, you guys have been dating for a couple years now. Enid's dad got married to her stepmom, like, six months after they started dating."

"Oh. Well, plenty of people feel like they need to move in together before getting married."

"So when are you guys moving in together?"

Well, she walked right into that one. "I don't know."

"Why aren't you guys living together now?"

"Where's all this coming from?"

Sophia shrugs. "I don't know. Just, you stopped living with - _him_ \- when you guys got divorced."

Ah.

Carol sits down and takes Sophia's hand in hers. "Hey. The _only_ reason Daryl isn't living with us is because I'm not ready. Not because we're breaking up. I promise."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah."

Sophia fidgets, and asks, "But you guys seem like you love each other. How are you _not_ ready?"

Carol squeezes her hand. "It's not always that simple, baby."

Sophia nods, very clearly not pleased with that answer, but the bell buzzes and Carol says, "Daryl's here, let's get going."

She grabs her purse and the two of them head down, and Daryl's idling in front of the building.

He kisses Carol on the cheek hello, and Sophia simply opens the passenger door and shuts it without a word.

Daryl raises his eyebrow. "She okay?"

"Yeah, just irritated with me. It'll be fine." As if on cue, Sophia beeps the horn, and Carol rolls her eyes. "Have fun."

"You too."

"Mhm. Grocery stores are a ball."

She kisses him goodbye, and watches as they drive off, wishing her and Sophia's conversation wasn't cut so short.

\--

Daryl buys the tickets and Sophia strides right over to the snack counter without hesitation, ordering a small popcorn and enough candy to rot Daryl's teeth just by _looking_ at it.

He sighs. She hadn't said a single word to him the whole ride over, and as they walk away from the concession stand and take their seats, he nudges her with his elbow. "Hey. You good?"

"Yeah. Let's just watch the movie."

They always get here early enough to watch the previews, and make snarky comments about the ones that look stupid, and when a romantic comedy comes on, he whispers, "He's punchin' way above his weight, huh?"

Sophia doesn't take the bait, though, and simply rips open a box of Junior Mints with more force than strictly necessary.

Okay, then.

The movie's over, and Sophia's powered through all four boxes of candy and half the bag of popcorn. They silently walk to the car, and Daryl tentatively asks, "You still wanna go to the diner?"

"Yup."

"Even though you ate such a nutritious breakfast?"

"I _said_ yeah, Daryl, let's just _go_ ," Sophia snaps, and Daryl sighs.

She slams the door shut, and when they take their seats at the diner, Sophia orders her usual pancakes with an assload of sugary toppings, and Daryl gets his usual turkey club.

When the server leaves, he asks, "Alright. What's the deal?"

Sophia crosses her arms. "Nothing."

"Don't _nothin'_ me, you been in a snit all day. What's goin' on?"

She glares at him, and for a moment Daryl thinks she's just going to ignore him, but then she bursts out, "Don't you give a shit about us?"

"Whoa, hey, watch it."

"Whatever."

Daryl furrows his brows. "Yeah, 'course I do."

"Then why aren't we living together? Why aren't you guys married?"

"Oh." Daryl chews on his lips for a moment, and says, "Not all families gotta do that."

Sophia scoffs. "It's not that simple, right?"

"Uh. Yeah."

"That's what my mom said."

"Well, your mom's a smart lady."

"Don't treat me like an idiot, Daryl."

"I ain't, Sophia, where the hell's all this comin' from?"

Sophia glares at him, and _damn_ did she inherit that same set-him-on-fire look from Carol. "It doesn't matter."

"Yeah, it does. What's goin' on?"

Sophia crosses her arms even tighter and looks away, mumbling, "Just... Ron Anderson's parents are getting divorced, and his dad moved out, like, a year ago."

Ah.

Daryl lays his hands out on the table. "Hey. Hey, look at me."

She peers at him out of the corner of her eye, and Daryl figures that's all he's going to get. "Hey. Your mom and I ain't breakin' up or nothin'. All families look different. Sometimes they ain't all gonna end up gettin' married and havin' babies and shit. Stuff." Sophia doesn't look back at him, and he adds, "Don't change the way your mom and I feel 'bout each other. _Definitely_ don't change the way I feel 'bout you."

She scoffs, and Daryl prods her. "What is it?"

"Just... whatever."

"No _whatever_ , what?"

"You're nothing _like_ him. How is she not ready? How are _you_ not ready?"

Daryl fiddles with his fingernails, and says, "Look. I ain't gonna get into everythin', cause most of it's your mom's business, but... you know how both of you go to therapy? Talk to someone?"

She nods.

"Well, then you know. Sometimes shit - stuff - ain't so easy to forget. Sometimes adults got trouble with it too. And it ain't just your mom, neither. I talk to someone, too."

Sophia chews on her lips for a moment, and Daryl's struck with a weird bubble of pride in his gut, knowing that that's a mannerism she's picked up from _him_ , not Carol.

She nods. "Okay."

"Yeah?"

" _Okay._ "

"Alright, good." He sits back, taking a sip of his coffee, and asks, "So, that movie was a waste of time, right?"

Sophia snorts. "Yeah."

They make fun of the movie until their food comes, and eventually, Daryl drops her off in a much better mood than she was before.

\--

The next night, Daryl picks up Carol for their date, and they're strangely silent on the way to the restaurant. 

As Daryl pulls into the spot and turns off the car, Carol blurts out, "Sophia brought something up yesterday. About us."

"That why she was in such a funk?"

"Yeah."

"Yeah, pretty sure it's the same thing she said to me." Daryl chuckles. "Was actually gonna talk 'bout it with you tonight."

"Oh."

"Yeah."

They sit for a moment in awkward silence, and Daryl glances at the restaurant. "Look, let's go inside. Already late for the reservation."

Carol nods, they're seated, and they wait until the server takes their order to talk.

Daryl takes a deep breath. "She talked 'bout us gettin' married and livin' together and shit. That what she said to you?"

"Yeah."

Daryl can already see Carol's shoulders tensing, and he says, "Hey. I ain't gonna push you on this."

She visibly relaxes, and Daryl's glad that this is already going better than when he brought it up last year.

_"You ever think 'bout movin' in with me? Or me movin' in with you?"  
_

_Carol stiffens, and Daryl immediately regrets asking._

_"Why?"_

_Daryl winces. "Forget it."_

_"No, you brought it up. Why?"_

_Well, alright then. "Dunno. Just... seems like the next step. Already spendin' so much time together. All three of us." When she crosses her arms, Daryl tries for some levity. "Save us some gas money."_

_That doesn't really work._

_Carol glares at him. "So, what, is this a dealbreaker or something?"_

_"What? No, just askin'."_

_"Why?"_

_"'Cause, dunno. We been together for, what, two years now? Just wonderin', is all."_

_"And there's some manual that says we have to move in after two years? What's next, marriage at five?"_

_"Carol."_

_She squeezes her eyes shut, and takes a deep breath. "Just... give me a minute," she says, and she leaves the room._

_He drums his fingers on the table, wishing he just kept his mouth shut, and when Carol returns he can already tell how much calmer she is._

_She takes a seat at the table, and closes her eyes, taking another deep breath. "Sorry. I didn't mean to lash out at you."_

_"'S okay."_

_"No, it's not."_

_Daryl shifts around in his seat, cheeks turning pink. "Alright."_

_They're silent for a moment, and Daryl ventures, "So... can we talk 'bout this?"_

_Carol rubs her temples. "Look, I'm just not ready to."_

_"That's okay."_

_"Okay. Thank you."_

_"'Course." He means it, too. They should talk about it at some point, but it doesn't have to be now, and he's not going to push._

Carol sighs. "Look, I haven't... I'm not ready for it, Daryl."

Daryl frowns. "Okay, but I think we gotta talk 'bout this at some point, 'specially if Sophia's bringin' it up."

"No, I mean, I'm not _ready_ for it. Moving in together. I might not ever be, Daryl."

"I know." When she flicks her eyes at him, he adds, "I mean it. I get it. Ain't gonna hold it against you or nothin'. Promise."

Carol clasps her hands together and looks him dead-on. "Is it a dealbreaker?"

" _No_." He can tell by the look on her face that she's waiting for him to elaborate, so he shifts around in his seat some more, uncomfortable with the direction this is heading. "Look, I ain't gonna lie. It's frustratin' - _not_ 'cause I feel some type of way 'bout it, just 'cause I miss you when you ain't here, and I like wakin' up next to you, and I like comin' downstairs and seein' Sophia sittin' at the table, and, y'know, shit like that. But I _get_ it, I promise."

She flashes him a small smile, and he continues, encouraged. "Really. I mean it. Wouldn't give up what we got for the world. Even if this is where we stay for good. You two the best thing ever happened to me."

Carol nods, and quirks her lips. "Yeah, you too." He smiles, and she adds, "You know, she called you dad. When she brought it up to me yesterday."

Daryl's face splits into a grin so wide his cheeks hurt. " _Really_ _?_ "

Carol chuckles. "Yes, really."

"You okay with that?"

"Yeah." His smile fades a little, and she says, "No, really. I am. It means this is real for her. She _loves_ you, and she's not thinking about him anymore. She gets to have a dad she deserves."

He searches her face, and he thinks she means it, _really_ means it, and it fucking _elates_ him.

But then she says, "And, you know. I miss you too, and I like waking up next to you, and I like when the three of us are together. It feels right, you know? But... it's just - I _know_ you're not him. I know you're not going to _be_ him. I know that. I know you're not going to all of a sudden change overnight, or have this whole secret personality that comes out when I'm least expecting it, or something. I know it, I promise. I trust you. It's just... there's a difference between knowing it and _knowing_ it, is all, and when I think about moving in together I'm just - it's harder to _know_ it. And it's not because of you. It's me."

"I know." And he does; they've talked about this a few times before, about her bad days and bad thoughts and bad memories and he gets it, he really does. "I just wish that you don't gotta feel that. Don't want you to always be waitin' for the other shoe to drop. Ain't no way to live."

She smiles gently, and adds, "Besides, things are going so well, don't you think? I mean, even beside all of that, I don't want to change anything. I don't want to all of a sudden get sick of you, or have you get sick of me or Sophia, or find out all these awful habits about each other that neither of us can accept."

He smirks. "Sweetheart, you got plenty of habits that irritate the shit outta me already, and I ain't kicked you to the curb just yet."

She rolls her eyes and huffs out a laugh. "Don't go thinking you're perfect either, you dick."

"No, but really, I just..." he chews on his lips for a moment, and says, "Like I said. I get it. And I ain't gonna push you 'bout it. Ain't pushin' now. But you gotta know, there ain't nothin' could change the way I feel 'bout you or Sophia. Promise."

She smiles again, and says softly, "Yeah, I know."

Their salads arrive, and they change the subject, and when they're finished up and driving home, Carol murmurs, "You know I love you, right?"

He's shocked.

He loves her so, _so_ much - he's known that for _years_ , and he's sure it's _ages_ longer than she's loved him, but he always thought it would be too big for her to hear. He's tried to think of the perfect moments to say it - moments that wouldn't pressure her, or make her worry, or feel contrived, and he's always come up short.

In all the scenarios in which he said _I love you_ he's never, _ever_ considered that _she'd_ be the one to say it first.

But he can already feel the tension she's started to radiate, so he pulls over and puts the car in park, facing her and taking her hands in his. He smiles. "I know. And you gotta know I love you too. More than anythin'."

She visibly relaxes, and quirks her lips. "Yeah, I guess so. Just nice to hear."

"Yeah."

The moment turns charged, and he catches her glance out the windshield before she looks back at him, and she raises an eyebrow. "Pretty big moment, don't you think?"

He snorts. "Seriously?"

"Seriously."

He smirks. "This is such a bad idea."

"Yeah, but who fucking cares?" she says, and he can't quite bite back his grin at the familiar refrain.

He wordlessly turns off the engine and she climbs into his lap, ass hitting the car horn, and he slides his seat as far back as it can go. He mumbles, "Ain't no point in drawin' attention if we don't gotta."

"Probably a good idea."

He feels her smirk, and pulls her face towards him, sucking on her lip and squeezing her ass, loving the groan it pulls out of her.

Before long, he's slipping his hand under her dress - thank fuck she's wearing one of those pretty little sundresses he loves so much - and there's a knock on the window.

They both go ramrod straight, and she quickly clambers back into her seat, and he grimaces, knowing that the fogged-up windows won't help their case at all.

He rolls down his window, asking, "There a problem, officer?" before realizing -

Rick groans. "Are you kidding me?"

Daryl feels his face turn bright red, and when Carol mutters, "Oh my _god_ ," he can't quite stifle his snort.

Rick glares at them. "You realize that public indecency is a misdemeanor in the state of Georgia, don't you?"

"Yeah..." Daryl says, chewing on his lip.

Rick shakes his head in disbelief. "Just get out of here and at least _pretend_ to be adults. Adults that are capable of using the privacy of their own homes instead of acting like dumbass teenagers."

"Sir, yes, sir," Carol says, and Daryl snorts.

"Go. I'll be sitting right here until you _go_."

Daryl rolls up the window and catches Carol's eye, and she lets out a delighted giggle he so very rarely hears.

They drive off, and when they pull into Daryl's driveway, they pick up right where they left off.

Yeah, he loves the fuck out of her, no matter what.


End file.
